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South Korean Navy via Reuters
A South Korean navy destroyer launches a cruise missile during a drill at an undisclosed location. The country says its new missile can strike anywhere in North Korea.
SEOUL -- South Korea sent a stern warning to North Korea on Thursday, two days after the North tested a nuclear bomb, saying it could strike the isolated state if it believed an attack was imminent as it deployed a new cruise missile to drive home its point.
South Korean officials declined to say the exact range of the missile but said it could hit targets anywhere in North Korea.
The United States and its allies are pushing for new sanctions at the U.N. Security Council aimed at slowing North Korea's nuclear and long-range missile development.
South Korean navy via Reuters
A new South Korean cruise missile hits a target during a navy drill at an undisclosed location. The Defense Ministry warned that the missile could strike targets in North Korea.
North Korea on Thursday repeated its warning that any further sanctions would provoke it into taking firmer action, and Seoul warned that it would strike if attacked. South Korea has already relaxed rules allowing troops on the border to return fire directly without seeking permission from the army chiefs.
Japan, which has little capacity to strike at the North if threatened by an attack because of the constraints of its pacifist constitution, said it had the right to develop such capability in response to changes in the regional security situation -- but had no plan to do so at present.
"When an intention to attack Japan is evident, the threat is imminent, and there are no other options, Japan is allowed under the law to carry out strikes against enemy targets," Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said in an interview.
South Korea's Defense Ministry released video footage of the missiles being launched from destroyers and submarines and striking mock targets. The weapon was previewed in April last year and officials said deployment was now complete.
"The cruise missile being unveiled today is a precision-guided weapon that can identify and strike the window of the office of North Korea's leadership," ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok told reporters.
North Korea has forged ahead with long-range missile development, successfully launching a rocket in December that put a satellite into orbit.
Early readings of North Korea's nuclear test Monday show it was three to six times more powerful than any tests from that country before. President Obama is calling it "a highly provocative act." NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reports.
The North's ultimate aim, Washington believes, is to design an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead that could hit the United States.
North Korea, technically still at war with the South after their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, carried out its third nuclear test on Tuesday, drawing condemnation from around the world, including its only major ally, China.
The test and the threat of more unspecified actions from Pyongyang have raised tensions on the Korean peninsula as the South prepares to inaugurate a new president on Feb. 25.
"The situation prevailing on the Korean peninsula at present is so serious that even a slight accidental case may lead to an all-out war which can disturb the whole region," North Korea's official KCNA news agency said.
Related:
China speaks softly to avoid alienating nuclear-armed neighbor
White House: North Korea nuclear test 'highly provocative'
North Korea propaganda video shows US city in flames
Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.
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U.S. got some of those too. So shouldn't they be considered new used?
Their missile system can be compared to our 2013 Ford F-250 versus a 1910 Model "A" car.
They're still crawling with their "new" technology whereas, we've been running with it for 60+ yrs.
They have nothing on us.
It's like getting older, every day older you are, so is your Dad. You'll "never" catch up....
Ok, this is like saying we have missiles that can reach mexico.... of course it can north & south korea are located on the same chunk of land.. and if they dont have a rocket that can travel 100 miles, they are in deep trouble !
@CreekDog ,don't underestimate South Korea ,they do got good military technoligy as well as skills ,they make good military weapons as well as have the latest versions of US weapons too ,the aircraft that they use are the 2nd best versions of the US models,better then most of the ones that we sell our other allies ,same goes for the ships ,they got AGIES CLASS SHIPS, not toys
Drones... just sayin'
But seriously, was deployed on SK during cold weather training a lifetime ago. Insofar as disciplined soldiers go, the South Koreans have the North out trained, out maneuvered and outsmarted. A quick perusal of any of the public documents assessing military capabilities reveals all we need to know about this paper tiger in Pyongyang.
The worry is that young Kim Jung Douche might actually believe some of his own propaganda and inadvertently piss off the wrong people through his actions and trigger a regional conflict.
Once the Chinese are like "f*@k him" then, well, its pretty much a done deal. The NKs have already embarrassed Beijing which is a capital offense within the culture - they've lost face because of them. So I think in their bid for recognition they're treading on very thin ice.
I'm a vet, former Marine, and liberal who is very hawkish on military matters. Served during Herbert Walker and Clinton, who sent JSOC and missiles against any threat. Unlike many, I don't have a problem targeting enemies of America for a little up-close-and-personal, as opposed to unnecessarily deploying vast numbers of grunts in messy operations. So in my world, Kim Young Un is a perfect example of the "rogue" head of state whose removal may or may not positively destabilize his nation, but would certainly help to shut him up.
And before the hate comments, just stating an impassioned opinion, not advocating a policy. Enlisted can do that, officers cannot. :-) (and don't go quoting the UCMJ, it's levity and real soldiers know that)
The South is not wanting to catch up. They are wanting some protection in place, in case the North gets too provocative. Living in the South, what the North is doing is somewhat nerve-racking. China is even wondering what their "buffer country" is up to. I had hopes that the new President/dictator was going to be more reform minded, having had a European education, and being exposed to the outside world. Seems like my hopes are not going to work out. Well, got to get back to digging a second floor to my bomb shelter. :)
To hit the south, the north only needs a 10 ton truck with a nuke and a couple of large armor tanks to clear the way to the detonation point in the south. After that, the north will become a "sheet of Glass" when the US gets through. That is why they want to threaten the targeting of points in the USA as a deterrent to an American Intervention. North Korea and China have cooled in their relations but Moscow may be the "Ace in The hole". The Bomber that went and flew around Guam and our B-52 Nuclear Arsenal, the same week as the Nuclear, test might be the threat that starts the new "Cold War". Better make that Bomb Shelter DEEP. If Moscow and North Korea ever get a "Mmutual Defence Treaty", then we may have a " HOT WAR" When North Korea Strikes.
@Creek Dog,
The new cruise missile, the Hyunmoo-3 series, is comparable to the US Tomahawk with similar accuracy (about a 2-ft CEP). The series has ranges from 500km to 1,500km depending on the model.
The cruise missile is important because South Korea is banned from producing ballistic military missiles by the same UN bans that effect North Korea. It is noteworthy that, even though banned from producing ICBMs, no one squawked when the South Koreans launched their first satellite earlier this month. (Their satellite was successful.)
But having a cruise missile that can be shot through a specific window 1500 km away is not as much of a threat to North Korea as you might think. For sixty years North Korea has been hardening its military facilities with huge underground depots for food, ammunition, spares, fuel etc. Command and control is completely buried as are things like aircraft revetments. And an unknown percentage of these hardened facilities are either dummies or are part of a shell game where missiles and such are moved around from one to another. The face is that intelligence on NK is so sparse that we have no idea even where most of NK's facilities are or how many they have. There is little chance of South Korea's cruise missile flying through a window in Nk when that window is buried in a basalt mountain. NK facilities we know about are so hardened that bunker buster bombs would be useless and survivability from even nuclear weapons would be high.
The North Korean satellite worked too; but I forgot, you only believe in American propaganda.
Don't you smell a mole around here?
or a rat. ----- or worse....
A warning sign of fascism, when Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Thought = Treason. Adolf figured that one out fast, that is why we refer to people like those to clown posts above as Fascists, with a capital F. We aren't KOREAN, this ain't our problem. Worry about the USA and the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. act, not some non-existant nuclear threat from the DPRK !
China, this time, may not help from the south but Moscow might help from the east.
Thanks Chris for the informative post. Don't really know if there is an answer to this situation other than containment and sanctions. For me the Korean War is as much or even more fascinating than the World Wars and that is saying quite a lot. Side note- A Marine left a note on my vine page a couple weeks ago talking about his drill instructor-please "friend" me, I accidentally deleted, thanks.
Good for the South.
Fools don't scare the North Koreans.
Maybe not, but fools sure defend them!
Somehow - threatening the North isn't helping. It is like going up to an armed psychotic off his meds and saying "If you don't back of and be good i'm gonna shoot you with my .22 !" South Koreans are stupid.
How are you getting a network connection in the North?? Oh yeah I forgot, a government employee never goes without on your side of the peninsula.
South Koreans are Free!
Quarant, you ever been shot with a .22? Check it out, and let me know what you think then, if you are still alive.
Monsieur Sjurset, like a true American, you missed the point.
Monsieur Rickeyt, If South Koreans are free, than why won't the SK government allow the people to own firearms ? Hmmmm! Like a true uninformed individual, you don't look at the details of this SK "freedom". SK has an American leash around its neck; step out of line and it gets yanked. SK has had military rule for generations; step out of like with SK government dogma=enjoy SK prison ! Weee, fun! What is with that huge massacre in the late 1970 ? Hazard a guess ?
Quarant South Koreans can own fire arms, it's just hard to get a license. You are right in one regards up until the early 90s South Korea was more authoritarian, but that is no longer the case so your point is kind of moot. That's like saying the Germans are still Nazis trying to exterminate the Jews.
Also, South Korea is allowed to create missile systems, there were agreements on the range of their missile systems so they could target all parts of North Korea.
But the South does not have Nukes.
we do got firearms in SK ,just got to know the laws and how to get a license
perfect opportunityto notify japan and s korea that our free military protrction is no longer free. we could charge them the amount each year equal to the amount of their massive trade surplus with USA.
in addition, we should not be the ones rebuilding n korea, in case there is a war.
we currently have 28,500 troops in south korea ------ doing what, i can only guess..... other than maintaining a presence ------ we are time-lined to close all our bases there in 2016. -------------------------------- kinda hard to charge south korea for our being there, since our presence is part of a united nations agreement.
we are also in japan because of an agreement, so again ---- kinda hard to charge them for our presence. --------------------------- btw, or fyi ------ if you think about it, we have a strategic interest in being there ----- whether or not people agree with that interest is another story.
They aren't closing all of the US bases in SK, just moving everything south of the Han and consolidating at Camp Humphreys. They wanted to get outside of NK rocket range. I still cant believe that they are going to close Camp Casey...
I was at Humphreys back in 76 - 77. Those were the days.
Hypocrites, sadly. Us and our allies. But when you are the big dog you get to decide what the rules are.
Many people forget that these two are technically STILL at war. None of this is a suprise. We should be more concerned about drones flying over the USA, the PATRIOT Act and the slow and incremental attack on the Second Ammendment. We SHOULD ALSO be attacking the goofball greedy 'big pharma' companies for these "massacres"; this is something that should be reported on. Guns don't kill people, nutbars on "mood" and "personality" modifying drugs do. Screw Korea.
Ban Ki Moon is a South Korean! Sweet. Me thinks that there is a wee 'conflict of interest' at work here.
NK pumps China's gas. If China gets upset with NK I have no doubt that they will change the current regime, either through assassination or takeover.
The NK isn't a 3rd rate banana republic. Their society is such that if they did kill Jong Un - another member of the Kim family would take over. If they turned out to be moderate, the NK military would deal with them-but I doubt it would even get that far. Assasination also goes against Chinese m.o.. Read more about the NK society, culture and post 1950 history. They are a strange, tough and ruthless bunch.
North Korea is pathetic. They can't even feed themselves or their army. They have no infrastructure for things like lighting, water, or gas. There is no manufacturing, no economy. They rely on contributors from the outside world. Should they try to engage in a international fight, they'd find their army surrendering themselves in droves.
I have read about North Korean society, I feel sorry for them. Yes, even pity them. More sorry that no one wants to help them because it would be too expensive and detrimental to their own society if they did. Namely, China and South Korea.
Hopefully someday, those in North Korea wake up and take back what the Kim family systematically destroyed with their total dictatorship of the country.
"Japan, which has little capacity to strike at the North if threatened by an attack because of the constraints of its pacifist constitution..."
"Little capacity" is a misleading characterization of Japan's capabilities in that regard.
Saying North Korea is a mighty, powerful adversary is like saying the northern half of New Jersey can whip the southern half and all the other states except Arizona (China), which is also on the northern half's side...
It will be decades before they can duplicate a Trident sub. Maybe even 50 years. To that end if they ever harm a hair on an Americans head they will be vaporized back to the year 1,000,000 BC. Let them feel the wrath of 10 megaton hydrogen bombs and see how they compare to their tiny 7 kiliton ones!!
Another marginal region to be managed carefully for the new global order.
I only hope that it is not the real gathering storm.
@Quarant.....you are not talking about the South Korea that I have lived in for the past 35 years. Korean citizens have the right to own firearms. I was in the hills, hiking about 2 months ago, and two Korean men came up the side of the hill with....RIFLES in their hands. NO FIREARMS!!!! You don't know what you are talking about. And, in addition.....America does not have any noose around the South's neck. They vote and act on their own.....with two major political parties that are as different as night and day. And, in the last 3 elections, both parties have had a presidential winner......even the anti-American party. And the rubbish about, screw Korea. It is just that.....rubbish. (I do hope that sometime you might talk to an American who 1) was in the Korean War, and 2) had a chance to come back recently and see what a difference their sacrifices made.
I have read earlier posts by you, and some I have agreed with. But, you need to talk about something you know about, not something that you know NOTHING about.
To the person who said that all U.S. troops were to be phased out of S. Korea.....not so. I live in the city next to Cp. Humphreys, where they are building a small city, to house the U.S. troops/dependents who are moving down from above the Han River. All troops NORTH OF THE HAN RIVER - THE BIG RIVER THAT GOES THROUGH SEOUL - are being moved down into the Humphreys/Osan AFB/TaGue area. Supposed to be by 2016. But, I think that the ongoing money problems are going to slow down much of the construction that is going on.
To the person who had been in Cp Humphreys.....I was stationed there, 1979-80, and 1983-86. You wouldn't believe the changes that are going on. (I live in PyeongTaek, about 10 kms from there.) All the land down to the river, and almost to DunPo-ri has been taken by the S. Korean government, they moved all the farmers out, and have given the land to the Americans, to be used for ??????? years. Now, a drive-through gate, 4 lane. And now, 3 other gates where a person can drive in. It has a new grade school, and is in the process of building a new grade/middle/high school, and a new hospital, to replace 1-2-1, in YongSan, that will be given to the South when the move is done. Any other questions about what is happening here, I will gladly answer all that I can. hikeinmts@hotmail.com.
Never been there, but love Korean food.
koreanfood rules and taste good ,unless its north korean treebark &stale old rice thats on the menu !!
nothing we can do, we cant sacrifice Seoul...
So Ralph, a bully threatens you and you what? Roll over? With that kind of attitude we'd all be speaking German right now. Trading threats isn't the solution, but being a wuss isn't either. It's why we got into the arms race with the Soviets, and tho it cost some lives and costa pile of money, it was still cheaper than having a third world war or going nuclear.
Time to go in to North Korea and end these threats. Enough is enough.
I was stationed in Korea while I was in the Army. North Korea has been making these sort of threats for decades. Unfortunately rather than sneaking troops across the boarder ( a whole north korean special forces battalion that I personnally got to "interact" with, that never made the news.) Artillery duels, snipers shooting across the boarder, tunneling under the boarder etc., all pretty minor stuff internationally. Nukes on the other hand, not cool. N. Korea loves to sabre rattle. Not sure why, maybe Kim Jr. has a small...But S. Korea responding the way they have is new. I guess not unexpected either. After all, someone as irrational as N. Korea launches rockets over you and Japan, then tests nuclear weapons...I guess I'd get a bit twitchy too.
I'd be more concerned with North Korea or China developing a missile based upon our Stealth Fighter technology that could be launched and remain undetected until it found it's target.
Now you know why hackers keep trying to hack our defense systems. They are looking for our stealth technology so they can build stealth missiles to sell to terrorists who can then use them to attack us with almost a 90% suprisal rate.